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Topic: Sprint: Which Credit Reporting Agency do They Use for Credit Check? (Read 971 times)

I'm interested in opening a Sprint cell phone account. Currently I have freezes on all three credit agencies so I'll need to request a lift, for which there's a fee. Rather than pay a fee to all three, I'd like to know which credit agency they use thus paying for only one freeze lift.

BestBuy, from which I intend to buy the phone/plan is clueless. Sprint CSRs are clueless. It's a wonder that these corporations even manage to function with the level of incompetence on display.

An online search seems to favor Equifax.

However, one especially escalated CSR call ended in a conference call with Sprint's credit department, which states that they use Experian.

I have exactly zero faith in their answer, lol, so I wanted to confirm with folks on the forum.

BestBuy, from which I intend to buy the phone/plan is clueless. Sprint CSRs are clueless.

Front line drones are nothing more than minimum wage employees who only know how to enter your data into the system and then the computer generates the hard pull to the desired agency. They have NO way of knowing which bureau it gets sent to. If a customer's application is denied all they get is a "declined" message and the letter stating why and what bureau goes directly to the consumer.

However, one especially escalated CSR call ended in a conference call with Sprint's credit department, which states that they use Experian.

Which bureau they use also can depend on where you live. East coast residency tends to lean toward Equifax as they are headquartered in Atlanta and is favored on that side of the country. On the west coast they can lead towards TU or EX.

I have exactly zero faith in their answer, lol, so I wanted to confirm with folks on the forum.

I have been a Sprint customer for 10 years now and I cannot even tell you who they pull as it has been so long since they even did one on me.

I think you are making this WAY harder than it needs to be. Let them run it. When it gets rejected because of the freeze they will tell you who they couldn't get it through and then you can unfreeze it right there.

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Be VERY careful following advice from the internet! What worked for someone with thousands of posts on a message board may not work for YOU in your state. Consult a lawyer when ever possible.

Front line drones are nothing more than minimum wage employees who only know how to enter your data into the system and then the computer generates the hard pull to the desired agency. They have NO way of knowing which bureau it gets sent to. If a customer's application is denied all they get is a "declined" message and the letter stating why and what bureau goes directly to the consumer.

Which bureau they use also can depend on where you live. East coast residency tends to lean toward Equifax as they are headquartered in Atlanta and is favored on that side of the country. On the west coast they can lead towards TU or EX.

I have been a Sprint customer for 10 years now and I cannot even tell you who they pull as it has been so long since they even did one on me.

I think you are making this WAY harder than it needs to be. Let them run it. When it gets rejected because of the freeze they will tell you who they couldn't get it through and then you can unfreeze it right there.

I have a time limit/pressure due to the purchase being a promotion. Further, some of the credit agencies say it may take up to 3 days(!) to lift a freeze.

Online searches suggested that it was Equifax.I posted here, but there were no replies.I called BestBuy's customer service and spoke to their call center manager: he was clueless.I then called Sprint CS and they didn't know. Up the CS ladder at Sprint, I got a guy who put through a conference call to Sprints credit dept. They told me that Experian was used.

Early this morning I ordered a freeze lift from Experian ($5.44). Unfortunately, I have no time to waste.

Now I see your post - thank you - stating that it's contingent upon location.Hmm.

If I decide to order online, and I get rejected, it's doubtful I'll know the cause unless I inquire? For example, maybe they do use Experian and I'm rejected for bad credit. Maybe they use Experian and the freeze hasn't been fully processed and implemented so access to my account is denied. Maybe they use Equifax and can't access my report due to the freeze. How will I know? I'll have to deal with the same BestBuy drones who you/I know are clueless.

If they do in fact use Experian and the freeze is lifted but my application is rejected due to poor credit, that's a hard hit on my credit report. If I don't know why I was rejected (due to BestBuy's CSR obliviousness) and assume it may be due to them trying to access Equifax which still has a freeze - and I then pay fpor a freeze lift on Equifax, but it's ultimately rejected do to credit rating, then I know have hard hits on two credit agency reports.

The easiest way to deal with this is to just apply. When they can't pull your credit they will bring in another department -- AT&T calls it "Risk Management" -- who can tell you which CRA to unfreeze. If you have the security PINs you can unfreeze in real time, while on the phone with them.

When talking to the front line drones don't mention a frozen report; they have no idea what that means. Tell them your identity was stolen once upon a time and your applications always get flagged for special handling. They'll understand that and once you're put through to credit/risk management you'll be talking to someone who isn't reading from a script.

This only ever backfired on me once, with Entergy. When they couldn't pull my report they didn't give me the option of trying again, they just asked for a $150 deposit. Of course, they pay 6% on their deposits, so I'm happy to let them have it. Only wish I could give them more of my money at that rate.

This point is one that should be chiseled into the desk in front of everyone...They are just drones. They have a script off of which they talk, and any deviation from the script with throw them into an endless loop of inanity. They also have little or no power to achieve anything.